


The One With Nini's Lost Tongue

by triflingthings



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Aged up characters, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:54:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23626480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/triflingthings/pseuds/triflingthings
Summary: Nini Salazar-Roberts lives by a plan. She plans what she's going to say, when she's going to say it, and how it's going to be said. Her wisdom teeth have other plans.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 10
Kudos: 110





	The One With Nini's Lost Tongue

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came from RickysRing's "What I Lack in Wisdom I Make Up for in Love". I thought that the idea of one of them getting their wisdom teeth removed and being all loopy was fun so I decided to make my own spin on it. The idea definitely came from their story, but I added everything else on my own accord. Happy reading! xx

"Neens, c'mon, it's time to wake up. Your appointment is in two hours, and we still have to be a little early to check in," Ricky whispered, crouched next to the side of their bed as he lightly threaded his fingers through her hair.

"Mmm," Nini grumbled, burrowing deeper into the comforter while leaning into her boyfriend's touch. Her hair was in knots and her mouth was hanging slightly open, but Ricky was sure that he had never seen someone more beautiful. He'd been a goner since sixth grade.

"Up ya go, Bubs," he said, grabbing her hands and pulling her into a seated position. He held three oblong pills in his hand and picked up a glass of water from the nightstand with the other. Nini looked at him with a stubborn expression, refusing to take the medicine without even saying anything. 

"Nini, you have to. The doctor said that your blood pressure will get too high before surgery if you don't," he pleaded.

"They'll make me loopy! I'm not supposed to be loopy until after the surgery," she said sternly.

Ricky stuck out his bottom lip in an attempt to sway her. "I know, baby, but you gotta! Otherwise there could complications, and you're already sensitive to anesthetics as it is," he said, knowing that they were both recalling her torn ACL from years ago.

Nini huffed but took the pills out of his hand, swallowing them but never breaking her irritated stare into Ricky's eyes. Ricky grinned and kissed her forehead before rising to his feet and walking to their closet.

He rummaged around for a moment before emerging with her favorite joggers and university crewneck. "I was thinking that you'd wanna be comfy, right? And you won't even have to wear a bra with this sweatshirt, so it just makes it that much easier for when we get home. I know that you'd want to take it off anyway, so this will save us the trouble of working around hitting your mouth. And your favorite socks - the ones with little kittens on them - and your Reeboks, since I kno-" Nini watched with a sleepy grin on her face as her boyfriend picked out all of her favorite lounge clothes, in awe that he knew so much about such minuscule details.

She hopped off of the bed and walked next to where he was standing over their dresser, laying everything out. She quietly slid her arms around his torso and kissed his shoulder. She laid her head gently on his back, basking in his warmth.

"I love you, Bubba," she whispered, suddenly overwhelmed with the thought that he was _hers_. She wondered what she did in her past life to deserve the boy in front of her, but she thanked her previous self for whatever it was. He was just too perfect. 

Ricky turned in her arms to face her, taking her face in between his hands. He pressed a kiss to her lips once, twice, three times before hugging her tighter. "I love you more. Are you alright?" he asked, concern lacing his words. She nodded against his chest, listening to his heart beat.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just watching you do all of that made me realize how much I love you all over again," she whispered. She felt a light laugh vibrate his body, and felt his hands run through her knotty hair immediately after. 

He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back slightly. He looked at her for a moment with an adoring look on his face before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "C'mon, lets get those teeth outta ya," he said cheerfully, turning her around and tapping her backside as she headed into their bathroom.

-

Ricky killed the car's ignition before turning in his seat to face the girl next to him. He could tell that her nerves were beginning to show, so he attempted to do what he could to make her less anxious.

"Hey, you're gonna look so hot with chipmunk cheeks. Plus, I make a mean cup of chicken broth, so you're going to be set for a while," he said lightly, grabbing her small hand in his.

Nini grinned at him before pulling her hair into a ponytail. Once she finished, she leaned over the console to press a lingering kiss to Ricky's lips. "Come on, bud, it's now or never," she told him, as if he was the one needing to calm down. 

"Hey, hey, wait a sec," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her back into the seat. "Have you finished your orange juice? Are those pills making you feel weird?" Ricky sounded as if his anxiety was going to overpower him, as well. 

Nini put her hand on his arm, rubbing it up and down. "Yep, all done. And I'm okay, really. Just less anxious and kind of tired. I think they did their job, Bub." She'd never tell, but she found Ricky's constant concern endearing.

Ricky sighed before unbuckling his seat belt and making his way to Nini's side of the car. He held her hand as they walked inside, and while they signed in, and while they waited for her name to be called. Nini turned to look at him, putting a hand on his cheek.

"It's alright, baby. I'm going to be fine, I promise. It'll take an hour tops, and then we'll be free to go home and spend the first week of summer vacation in bed," she told him, giving him a small smile and moving her hand to his curls. 

Ricky huffed lightly. "I know, I just hate seeing you in pain. But you'll be fine, you're not a wimp," he grinned, pressing a mock punch to her shoulder. She giggled with him for a moment before settling herself back in the chair and laying her head on his shoulder.

The pair were ten minutes into an episode of _New Girl_ when a blonde woman in scrubs walked out of the back room.

"Nini Salazar-Roberts?" she questioned to the waiting room, which was occupied by one other person besides the pair. 

Nini stood and handed her phone to Ricky. She pressed a kiss to his lips before she went back, whispering a small "Wish me luck." before leaving the waiting room altogether. 

Neither of them had any idea what was coming in the next hour.

-

Ricky looked up from the book he was reading on his phone when he heard the door to the operating rooms open. The same nurse walked out, holding Nini's hand and guiding her into the room. Nini's lips were stained crimson and her mouth was full of gauze, also stained. Her eyebrows were drawn together as she looked around the room, seeming skeptical of her surroundings. Her eyes soon fell on Ricky rising to his feet, and he could have sworn a light flickered on behind her irises.

"Wicky!" she exclaimed, attempting to say his name through her full mouth. She opened and closed her fists in his direction, making his heart swell. Grabby hands - his twenty year-old girlfriend was making grabby hands in his direction. Kill him now.

"Hey Bub, how ya feeling?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they walked out of the office.

"I'm piffed!" she exclaimed. Ricky looked at her, confusion etched into his features.

"You're what?" he asked her, laughing lightly.

"Piffed!" she yelled. "They really piffed me off. They took my tongue! It's gone!"

He laughed harder as he realized what she was talking about. He helped her buckle her seat belt before sliding into the drivers seat. "They took your tongue, huh? And what are they planning to do with it?" he played along, pulling out of the parking lot.

She sprang forward, propelled by the question. "I don't know! Dats what's fweaky! Maybe they want to cwone me," she told him. She shook her head as she said this, as if she couldn't fathom the idea of another Nini. 

"If it's any consolation," he began, "I'd still choose you over your clone. I'd just know which is which. Not even your clone could be as cool as you are."

Nini's eyes welled up with tears as he said this. "Oh my god," she whispered. "I wove you, Bubs. You're my favowite. My absolute favowite. I just want to kith you all the time," she wailed. Ricky stroked her jaw with a feather-light touch, careful not to put any pressure on her already-swelling cheeks. 

Ricky's heart swelled once again as he looked at his girlfriend while waiting for the stoplight to turn green. "You're my absolute favorite, too, Neens. I'd love it if you kissed me all the time," he said through a grin. He leaned over and ghosted a kiss over her lips, scared that he might cause her any pain.

She smiled as much as she was able before leaning back against the headrest. She sighed lightly and toyed with the fingers on Ricky's right hand, which was currently resting in her lap. 

"Wicky?" she asked, nothing but innocence in her eyes.

"Yeah, Bub?"

"I wanna mawy you," she stated matter-of-factly, no hesitation apparent in her voice. Ricky knew exactly what she said, despite the obstacle that was the gauze. He turned his palm upwards to intertwine their fingers.

"Oh yeah? Why would you ever want to do that?" he asked.

"So we can have the same last name," she said in a tone that made him expect a _Duh!_ to follow. It didn't. Instead, she continued on with her reasons. "And so we can have babies. Maybe. That sounds scawy. But if we were mawied, we could have a fun wedding- Oh! And Big Wed could tap dance!" she exclaimed, extremely excited with her new plans.

"Nini, I'd absolutely love to have Big Red tap dance at our wedding," he stated. He saw her clench her fist and pull it toward her chest, whispering a small "Yes!" as she did it. He grinned and shook his head as he looked back toward the road in front of him.

"That's a welief," she said, looking as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders.

Ricky was confused as he drove down the interstate. Why would that be a relief? He thought it was obvious that he wanted their relationship to eventually get there.

He tightened his grip on her hand. “Neens, you’re it for me, alright? No one else. Just us until we’re old,” he told her ask he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

Nini threw another mangled grin in his direction. “Wuv ya, Bubs,” she whispered.

He giggled quietly, overwhelmed by how adorable she truly was. He snuck one last glance in her direction before responding.

"Wuv ya more, always."

-

"It hurts, it hurts, it _hurts_ ," Nini wailed, two days later. Her cheeks were at the peak of their swelling and stained with tears. 

Ricky had tears running down his cheeks, as well. He hated seeing Nini in pain, and knowing that he couldn't do anything about it made his distress worse. "I know, baby, but it's the dry sockets. Not to mention the fact that the doctor said the teeth were impacted and your jaw is tiny. But the second day is supposed to be the worst, so you're almost done!" His attempts to console her were appreciated, but could only do so much.

Nini snuggled closer to Ricky and sniffled, laying her head on his chest. His hands were threading through her hair, their usual spot when it came to comforting his girlfriend. A rerun of _New Girl_ was playing on the TV in their bedroom.

Ricky handed her two pain pills from their nightstand and a glass of water. "C'mon, Bubs, time to sleep. You'll feel so much better when you wake up, I promise. No, I pinky promise. You know that I don't break those."

Nini swallowed the pills and the content of the glass before returning to her position next to Ricky. Her eyes had already begun to droop from her last dosage, and she looked up at Ricky through her lowered lashes. She traced her fingertips against his jaw, over his cheeks, and eventually touched his lips. She grinned at him before leaning up and pressing her lips against his, lightly at first. She added a tiny bit of pressure once she realized that it didn't hurt too bad, and it was instead only slightly uncomfortable.

Ricky smiled against her lips. She pulled back and laid back down, closing her eyes and placing her hand on his stomach. It didn't take long for her shuddering breaths to even out and for her body to fully relax against his. 

Ricky sighed and leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head. He reached over to the nightstand and opened the drawer, pulling out what he was looking for.

He laid flat as he lightly tossed the black velvet box into the air for a moment. Ricky flipped open the lid and stared down at the ring. It was simple, just a thin band with a marquise cut diamond in the center. He was positive that Nini would love it, but he just didn't know the perfect time to ask. But after a moment, he decided that there was no "perfect moment". It would happen when it was supposed to happen.

Once Nini got her tongue back, that is.

**Author's Note:**

> Anything other than the grabby hands being alike to RickysRing's story was purely coincidental. The grabby hands just make my heart clench, so I had to throw them in here. Most of the things that happened were taken from my wisdom teeth removal, just toned down a bit hahaha


End file.
